Attachments
Summary
This report covers the response of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA or the Agency) under the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) Flash Appeal, from 1 January to 30 June 2024. All needs and response data are accurate as at 30 June 2024, unless otherwise noted.
Since 7 October 2023, nine months of relentless bombardment have reduced Gaza to rubble, killing and burying thousands of civilians beneath the debris of homes, schools and hospitals.1 The entire population of 2.1 million people2 is in desperate need, on the brink of a human-made famine3 and facing an outbreak of polio, a preventable, debilitating childhood disease eradicated there a quarter of a century ago.4 Children are enduring unimaginable suffering, with thousands separated from their families, facing malnutrition, dehydration and the constant terror of war.5 Despite the urgent need for humanitarian relief, life-saving aid continues to accumulate at the border, obstructed by mounting access restrictions that prevent it from reaching those in dire need.6
Following the onset of the conflict, 90 per cent of Gaza’s population (1.9 million people) has been displaced, many up to ten times.7 If evacuation orders are intended to protect civilians, in reality, they have had the opposite effect,8 forcing families to flee from one destroyed location to another, often under fire and with few belongings, into an ever-shrinking area that is overcrowded, polluted, with limited services and – like the rest of Gaza – unsafe. As at 30 June, at least 37,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, of whom approximately 40 per cent were children or elderly.9 The vast majority of civilian infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, including over 62 per cent of homes, 84 per cent of health facilities10 and 92 per cent of schools.11 Communication networks and public utilities on the verge of collapse,12 with the water system able to pump only five per cent of its pre-conflict capacity.13 With the rapid decimation of water, sanitation and health systems, combined with the heavily restricted entry of food, a polio outbreak emerged in Gaza in the first half of 2024.14 The collapse of the education system has left over 600,000 students in Gaza out of school.15 Without immediate action, an entire generation of children and youth is at risk of losing education, with potentially far-reaching consequences not only for their future, but also for the broader society, regional peace and long-term stability.16 Meanwhile, entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza is regularly denied. Humanitarian installations, as well as local law enforcement, are frequently targeted, with the highest number of United Nations (UN) workers killed during a conflict in the history of the organization, severely challenging the humanitarian response.17
While UNRWA already faces extraordinary operational challenges in delivering its humanitarian mandate throughout oPt, it faces a threat of legislative action from the Israeli Knesset that could collapse the entire humanitarian response. Draft legislation is advancing through the review process, and if passed and enacted, would strip UNRWA from privileges and immunities, ban its activity on Israeli territory, and effectively end coordination to protect UN convoys, offices and shelters.
Despite unprecedented challenges and risks, in response to catastrophic needs, approximately 4,000 UNRWA frontline staff continued to deliver life-saving aid and services. From 1 January to 30 June, the Agency reached 90 per cent of Gaza’s population with at least one form of assistance, including the delivery of food to around 1.9 million people, the vaccination of 124,000 children and the provision of at least 3.4 million medical consultations. As at 30 June, 1,100 UNRWA medical staff in eight Agency health centres18 and 102 medical points continued to serve as the second largest provider of health care in Gaza. On 30 June, over 700,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were hosted in 4719 UNRWA shelters. The Agency provided water pumping and emergency waste collection services, benefiting approximately 45 per cent of the population, as well as mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) to IDPs, including children. UNRWA’s extensive operational infrastructure and dedicated staff provided critical shared services such as fuel, transportation and offices, without which 59 sister humanitarian agencies and four other critical infrastructure providers could not have functioned on the ground.
Still, unmet needs in Gaza remain vast. An immediate, full and complete ceasefire20 and uninterrupted, safe access to deliver aid are urgently required.
In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the situation has likewise significantly deteriorated following the onset of hostilities in Gaza. Between 7 October 2023 and 30 June 2024, over 11,000 Israeli security forces (ISF) incursions were conducted in the West Bank.21 The scale and intensity of these operations, frequently employing advanced military weaponry and airstrikes, has led to unprecedented levels of civilian casualties and displacement, since the UN began keeping records two decades ago.22 Since 7 October, a quarter of the 587 Palestinians killed in the West Bank were children.23 A third of all fatalities occurred inside Palestine refugee camps, especially the northern refugee camps of Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm, which continue to be disproportionately affected.24 Likewise, within the same period, Israeli settler violence and home demolitions have surged to unparalleled levels.25 Heightened Israeli movement restrictions have dramatically impacted access of Palestinians to livelihoods and essential services, including health care and education. Over 306,000 workers from the West Bank lost their jobs between 7 October 2023 and 31 January 2024, in relation to the conflict, including due to the Israeli imposed access restrictions.26 Just as they have amplified the needs of the population, access restrictions, infrastructure damage and ongoing violence have also severely impeded the efficiency of the humanitarian response in the West Bank.
In response to the increasing protection needs resulting from Israeli incursions and home demolitions in the West Bank, the Agency’s Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU) supported 4,741 families with cash assistance at the household level. This aid enabled them to carry out shelter repairs, pay rent during displacement and recover from livelihood losses. UNRWA also provided further multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA) to 6,527 vulnerable families, including to those who lost their jobs due to movement and access restrictions in place. To address significant damage to water and sanitation systems resulting from large-scale ISF incursions, the Agency extended enhanced solid waste management and environmental health services, deploying additional sanitation labourers and undertaking wastewater and stormwater drainage upgrades in the most affected refugee camps. In collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP), UNRWA delivered in-kind food assistance to 36,000 persons in Bedouin and herder communities in Area C of the West Bank. Moreover, a total of 40,000 Palestine refugees, most impacted by the devastating security situation and movement restrictions, received food vouchers. The Agency also enhanced primary health care services by deploying additional health workers, including doctors, nurses and lab technicians, to the most affected areas. It ensured the continuity of education for over 45,000 UNRWA school students by improving school infrastructure, providing transportation for vulnerable students residing in remote areas and deploying teachers to replace those unable to reach their duty stations due to access-related challenges.
As violence and instability continue in the oPt and the broader region, regional preparedness remains essential. UNRWA has prepared 11 designated emergency shelters (DES) in Lebanon, ready to accommodate more than 7,000 persons who may be displaced by further escalation of conflict in the country.
To address the most critical humanitarian needs of 1.7 million vulnerable Palestine refugees and non-refugees in Gaza, as well as over 200,000 individuals in the West Bank, from October 2023 to December 2024, UNRWA appealed for a total of US$ 1.69 billion. By the end of June 2024, only 18 per cent of the requested amount had been funded.
Due to the severe underfunding and humanitarian access challenges in Gaza, 1.9 million people on the brink of a human-made famine were not provided with two out of the three planned flour distributions in early 2024. A US$ 466.1 million funding gap threatens planned food distribution for the rest of the year. Only 12 per cent of required water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) funding was received, leaving IDPs with just over half the minimum water needed per day for drinking, cooking and basic hygiene. Limited resources also hindered toilet facilities, exacerbating protection risks, unsanitary conditions and the spread of disease. Just six per cent of shelter and non-food item (NFI) funding was secured, leaving displaced persons without essential items like mattresses and blankets. Emergency health services received only a third of the required funding, with the Agency struggling to replenish critical medical supplies. In the West Bank, only three per cent of total funding requirements were met, leaving MPCA, shelter and NFI, MHPSS, health and WASH operations severely underfunded.
Without unrestricted humanitarian access and adequate resources, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is likely to escalate beyond its already catastrophic levels, exacerbating the suffering of the civilian population and depriving them of critical life-saving aid and services.